Kiko Pangilinan climbs Senate rankings

Just a few minutes past midnight on Tuesday, May 13, Frankie “Kakie” Pangilinan shared a touching moment with her father, Kiko Pangilinan, who is currently in the Top 5 of the senatorial race based on partial and unofficial results as of posting.

Kakie revealed that her father had been ready to step away from politics after the elections. But in a turn of events that defied pre-election surveys, he unexpectedly emerged as one of the frontrunners.

“Kanina lang, sabi ni Dad handa na daw siyang magpahinga, tas sabi ni Lord, ‘wag muna,” she shared on social media.

kanina lang sabi ni dad handa na daw syang magpahinga tas sabi ni Lord wag muna 😭😭😭 https://t.co/10JYhw6RrK

— kakie 🇵🇸 (@kakiep83) May 12, 2025

In disbelief, Kakie shared that they had already discussed Kiko’s “backup plan” in case he did not win his Senate return bid.

“Di talaga ako makapaniwala guys 8 hrs ago lang pinaguusapan na namin mga backup plan na ni sir,” Kakie wrote.

“Maraming maraming maraming maraming maraming maraming salamat,” she added.

Supporters of Kiko then flooded Kakie’s tweets with messages of support, expressing their backing for his Senate bid.

“Ay, pakisabi po sa Dad mo na kami po ang magde-decide kung pwede na siya magpahinga. Kidding!! Pero need talaga ng Pilipinas ang tatay mo. I’m so proud na I’m one of those na bumoto sa kaniya. Maninindigan hanggang sa huli,” an X user said.

“Tuloy ang trabaho maree hahaha..” another said.

“Naku, Kakie… Kami ay di pa handa para diyan. May laban pa tayo, sama sama kasama si Sen @kikopangilinan. Yan ang nakayanan namin nun maikampanya lang siya… We believed and God listened to our prayers. Overwhelming ang saya,” an X user said, posting makeshift campaign materials they made for Kiko.